Reflection: Rightly Quoted, Wrongly Applied (February 23, 2014)

The 7th Sunday after the Epiphany
Leviticus 12:1-2, 9-18; 1 Corinthians 3:10-23; Matthew 5:38-48

It’s interesting to hear people who don’t know much about the Bible quote something from the Bible. They often accurately quote the words that are found in the Bible. But almost as often, they quote the words out of context or apply them in an inappropriate way. When they do, it’s likely that they are trying to justify themselves in some way. It seems that, even though many don’t believe the Bible, people still desire to have the Bible back up their words, actions, or motives — even if to do so they have to wrongly apply what they quote.

One good example of this is “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” This passage is often used to justify taking revenge on a person who has done something to hurt another. The victim of this wrong wants to even the score and finds this passage useful for this. But Jesus makes it clear that this passage was never intended for this purpose. It does not justify personal vengeance, but was given to move the matter of justice out of the hands of individuals and into the realm of civic government. It actually prohibits revenge by taking the right to justice and punishment away from us. In contrast to the way people try to use this passage, Jesus tells us that instead of seeking revenge, we are not to “resist the one who is evil.” Instead, we are endure injustice, unfairness, and even personal loss as a witness of Christ to those who have harmed us.

Another passage that is often rightly quoted and wrongly applied is Jesus’ statement to “be perfect as Your Heavenly Father is perfect.” In response to this impossible standard for us, there are Christians who argue that Jesus would never demand something of us that we could not do. They conclude that it is within our ability to be perfect, to be without sin. But the perfection to which Jesus calls us is intentionally beyond our ability. Wrongly understanding and applying this moves us away from God’s grace and focuses us on what we do rather than what God has done for us. It makes God’s gift into our work. It robs us of the holiness and righteousness that Christ has secured for us with His blood and given to us by grace through faith.

God does not want you to be foolish or to be fooled. He has given you His Spirit so that you could both know His Word and rightly apply it. When you are wise in His Word you will not find fear, condemnation, need for vengeance, or lack of holiness, but the assurance that you are holy and perfect in God’s sight because “all things are yours” in Christ.

Click here to listen to the sermon "Rightly Quoted, Wrongly Applied" (or right-click to download the MP3 file).

Reflection: Only Human (February 16, 2014)

The 6th Sunday after the Epiphany
Deuteronomy 30:15-20;  1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Matthew 5:21-37

“It’s only human to …” sums up how we justify or excuse our sinfulness. We consider it only human to get angry with people who hurt us, to grow disinterested in our commitments, and to daydream about being with a person whom we find appealing. We’re convinced that there’s really nothing wrong with these things, as long as we don’t act on them. This attitude is captured in the well worn response of men who check out other woman and excuse their behavior by saying, “I’m married, not dead.” In other words, they’re saying “I’m only human, and it’s only human to do this.” And they’re right. But being only human is the problem.

Jesus rejects our “only human” defense by showing us that God’s Law goes beyond our behavior to condemn our sinful thoughts, attitudes, and desires. It may be only human to let one’s mind dwell on a attraction to another person and entertain desires that we would never act upon, but Jesus doesn't allow us to excuse ourselves because of it. “I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It’s only human to get angry with people, even the people who are close to us. But Jesus tells us that “everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.”

Today’s Epistle reinforces that it’s not okay to use being “only human” to justify ourselves. Like us, the Corinthians should have matured in the Faith and been at the point where they were living as God’s holy people empowered by the Holy Spirit in their sanctification. But they were “infants in Christ” and “still of the flesh.” Their attitudes and behaviors were driven by “being merely human.” But our problem isn't that we are actually “only human,” but that we've allowed ourselves to think that we are. Having been buried with Christ and raised to new life in Him in Baptism, we are no longer “only human” but have become something very different. We are the children of God, set apart from the death and decay of this world and established in everlasting life and glory. We are not subject to judgment, not in danger of the fires of hell, and not bound to the impossible demands of the Law, but we have been judged righteous in Christ, been given a place in Heaven, and are free to live in God’s grace. We belong to Christ. We are no longer of the flesh, but of the Spirit. We are “God’s field, God’s building.” We are the objects of His love and affection. We are extraordinary new creatures in Christ, still human but definitely not only human.

Click here to listen to the sermon "Only Human" (or right-click to download the MP3 file).

Journal: FaceBook and the Unforgivable Sin

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” 

- Jesus (Mark 3:28-29)

FaceBook proudly announced that it now supports over fifty definitions of gender from which to choose when crafting a profile. Over fifty! If this doesn't speak to our culture's confusion over gender identity I don't know what does. What it also speaks to, whether we care to acknowledge it or not, is how prevalent the "unforgivable" sin has become among us.

I'm not suggesting that FaceBook has committed the unforgivable sin (it is, after all, a company not a person). Nor am I saying that being confused about your gender (or certain about your confused gender) is the unforgivable sin. What this turn of events shows us, however, is that many people have wondered into that dark and desperate place that is fertile soil for the "eternal sin."

Just what is this eternal, unforgivable sin? Jesus clearly states that the sin that is outside of the boundaries of forgiveness is blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. What He means by blaspheming the Holy Spirit is clear from the context in which He makes this statement. He had just driven a demon from a person, which is a work of God. His adversaries, who rejected the idea that Jesus is God, attributed His power to Satan. Thus blaspheming the Holy Spirit by saying that what is of God is not of God and, if you really want to make sure you're blaspheming the Holy Spirit, attributing God's work to Satan.

This brings us back to FaceBook and it's fifty-plus gender choices. What FaceBook has done is simply to acknowledge the realities of our culture, especially the realities that stem from rejecting God's Word on the matter of human sexuality. In another discussion with His adversaries, Jesus pointed out that "from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female’" (Mark 10:6). Creating human beings in two specific, clearly defined genders is the work of God. For some time now our culture has fallen into the unforgivable sin by rejecting God as our Creator. But lately a new way of blaspheming the Holy Spirit has emerged through our views of sexuality. Not only are people rejecting the binary nature of gender as God has created it, they are making God the source of their sexual sins by claiming that "God made me this way." They've doubled-down on the unforgivable sin.

But before clearly identified male and female heterosexual Christians get too smug about getting their sexuality right, we need to understand why Jesus was pointing out the unforgivable sin in the first place. His goal wasn't to condemn His Holy Spirit-blaspheming adversaries to well-deserved eternal suffering, but to warn them of the consequences of persisting in their sins. We live in a spiritually dark world in which many people are perishing through the very things they are celebrating. Following Jesus' lead, we should recognize our obligation to hold back those who are staggering toward death by warning them of the dangers that they face and leading them to the grace of a God who can even cleanse them of their "unforgivable" sins -- just as He has cleansed us from our sins of fear, hate, confusion, and blasphemies.

Reflection: Consider Yourself Great (February 9, 2014)

The 5th Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 58:3-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20

Greatness in our world is limited to relatively few people. If greatness were something commonplace or something that everyone could achieve, then it wouldn't be greatness. Instead, only the outstanding people in a field of endeavor, those who have accomplished things above and beyond the others, are considered great. Tens of millions of Americans play sports and thousands make it to the professional level, but only a handful in each sport are called great. Every day thousands of new business are launched in our country, but only a few companies ever become great. Untold number of manuscripts have been written and submitted for publication, but only a small percentage of them are published, and of those only a few are considered great. As far as the world is considered, the vast majority of us are mediocre, below average, okay, proficient, etc. — something other than great.

In contrast to the world’s understanding of greatness, Jesus opens the way for every one of His disciples to be great. He doesn't do this by lowering the standard of greatness to a everyone-who-participates-gets-a-trophy way of doing things, but by providing a different and better way of understanding greatness. Rather than being exclusive, Jesus’ idea of greatness is inclusive. Instead of being elitist, the greatness He offers is for everyone.  Unlike the temporary nature of greatness in our world, His greatness is eternal. Most importantly, the greatest that Jesus holds up as worthy isn't achieved through our efforts but is something that He works in and through us. Yet it is a greatness that we only experience when we actively make use of our skills, abilities, talents, and resources as His steward-servants.

Unlike worldly greatness, our greatness in Christ is not self-serving, in fact, it’s not even for our benefit. Jesus followed His declarations of our greatness, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world,” with a call to use that greatness for its intended purpose: “Let your light shine for others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is heaven.” The prophet Isaiah speaks of our greatness in more specific terms: “Loose the bonds of wickedness … let the oppressed go free … share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house …” Consider yourself great in the Kingdom and live out that greatness to bring Christ and His greatness to those who are spiritually and physically in bondage, oppressed, hungry, and poor. The world is depending on your greatness and heaven is rejoicing in it.

(There is no recorded sermon available for this entry.)

Reflection: Consider Yourself Blessed (February 2, 2014)

The 4th Sunday after the Epiphany
Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12

People may say that they are blessed when they see how well off they are
compared to many others. And they may say that they are blessed when they are spared from a terrible hardship like a natural disaster or a devastating accident. And many tell people that they are blessed when they overcome a very difficult situation and its problems are behind them. But how many people say that they are blessed when they have to do without the things that the world considers important or essential? And who calls themselves blessed when they are weighed down by grief and sorrow over friends and loved ones who are absent, estranged, or have died? Would any of us tell people that we are blessed when we are hated and being persecuted. But Jesus calls us blessed in and through these very circumstances.

How can Jesus consider His people blessed when they have to endure terrible hardships in this world simply because they are His people? Called to be poor in spirit, meek, and merciful in a world that values earthly riches, power, and control, those who take Jesus seriously are certain to face ridicule, harassment, and persecution, to be hated and reviled, and to be blessed. Not blessed as we like to count blessings, but truly blessed. That means that we may not be better off than other people, not spared from terrible hardships, and not able to overcome difficult situations, but that through these very things God is actively working to bless us in ways that we cannot experience apart from them. It seems like folly and foolishness to think that our struggles and problems are the very means through which God blesses. And it is, because “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25).

To gain the perspective that we need to consider ourselves blessed in and through hardship, suffering, and loss, we must first consider what we were when God called us to be His people: “not many of you were wise … powerful … of noble birth” we are reminded. But “God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” (1 Cor. 1:26, 28). Because of this, you are in Christ Jesus. Being in Christ Jesus means that the Lord has removed the temporary things, the foolishness, and the fate of this world from you and given you His eternal things, His wisdom and power, and His life and salvation. In Christ you are blessed in good times and bad, plenty and want, joys and sorrows. In all things, consider yourself blessed.

Click here to listen to the sermon "Consider Yourself Blessed" (or right-click to download the MP3 file).